By Greg DePalma, OFN Executive Producer

College Football Injury Report: Week 7

To set your lineups in your college football fantasy leagues we provide this weekly report that covers the most important players in the country for their respective teams.

Don’t forget to tune in every Friday for OFNs College Football Preview show for in-depth game coverage including more details on the playing status of key players as well as game analysis, trends, the latest odds and picks.

Key short-term injuries/suspensions…

Alabama…Star DL Da’Shawn Hand injured his hand Week 5 against Ole Miss and is expected to be out until their November 4th contest against LSU.

Arizona…Sophomore QB Khalil Tate entered the game last week for injured Brandon Dawkins and proceeded to break the FBS record for rushing yards from a quarterback with 327 yards on just 14 attempts. Tate also scored four times and completed 12 of 13 passes for 153 yards and a TD. Tate is getting a chance now to take over the position full-time starting this week against UCLA.

Florida…Leading rusher Jordan Scarlett and leading receiver Antonio Callaway continue to serve suspensions resulting from fraud-related felony complaints. There is a good chance they won’t play this season. With Callaway out of service, sophomore WR Tyrie Cleveland had become the Gators top receiver (15-326-2), but he missed the Week 6 game against LSU with an ankle injury and is likely out again versus Texas A&M. The secondary is also dealing with injuries as top safety Nick Washington is expected to miss the game this week while safety Chauncey Gardner is a question right now.

Florida State…Leading receiver Auden Tate (16-282-4) has been dealing with an AC separation in his left shoulder all season, but continues to play through the pain. No. 2 receiver Keith Gavin (15-145) will miss the Duke game though with an ankle injury while No. 3 George Campbell (6-122) is questionable with a hip injury. The Seminoles will be without two starters on defense as LB Jacob Pugh and SS Trey Marshall will miss the game with concussions. LG Landon Dickerson will miss the season with an ankle injury.

Iowa State…QB Jacob Park is not expected to return this week after taking a leave of absence before last week’s game against Oklahoma. Senior backup Kyle Kempt had a great game in pulling out the upset by completing 18 of 24 passes for 343 yards and 3 TDs. Kempt will make his second career start this week against Kansas. LB Willie Henry could miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Henry was the Cyclones leading tackler last season with 78 and has 31 so far through four games this season.

Kansas State…Starting QB Jesse Ertz is expected to miss the game this week against undefeated TCU with a knee injury. Ertz is also the Wildcats leading rusher with 336 yards. Sophomore QB Alex Delton would make his first career start after playing late last week at Texas and performing well by gaining 79 yards on the ground and scoring twice in their overtime loss.

Miami, FL…RB Mark Walton will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Walton gained 1,117 yards with 14 TDs last season and had 428 this season. No. 2 rusher Travis Homer should be a solid replacement for Walton. Homer has averaged eight yards per rush so far this season with 207 total yards and 3 TDs. WR Ahmmon Richards is dealing with a hamstring injury and is questionable to play. Richards was the team’s No. 2 receiver as a freshman last season behind Stacy Coley with 49 receptions, but led with 934 yards. Richards has already missed two games from earlier in the season. There is good depth at receiver though with Braxton Berrios and TE Christopher Herndon. Also on offense, starting guard Navaughn Donaldson is out with an ankle injury while on defense, top CB Dee Delaney will miss the Georgia Tech game with an undisclosed injury as will FS Sheldrick Redwine who is out with a concussion.

Oregon…Starting QB Justin Herbert broke his collarbone Week 5 against California and is out indefinitely. The Ducks went with true freshman Braxton Burmeister in the Dicks loss last week against Washington State and he failed the test by going just 15 for 27 with 145 yards passing, one TD and two picks. Burmeister surprisingly did nothing on the ground either, which was anticipated based on his high school resume. Senior QB Taylor Alie might get some action this week at Stanford.

Pittsburgh…QB Max Browne is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Browne had completed 71% of his passes this season for 997 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs. Sophomore backup Ben Dinucci has completed just 39 of 74 career passes for 458 yards, 3 TDs and 4 INTs. True Freshman Kenny Pickett could also get in some action this week against NC State. Pickett has attempted just one career pass, but the Panthers are excited about his potential.

Toledo…WR Cody Thompson (28-537-4) is going to miss the rest of the season with a leg injury while leading rusher Terry Swanson (77-355-5) is questionable with an ankle injury. The Rockets do have good depth with No. 2 Art Thompkins (337 yards) at running back and Diontae Johnson at receiver (28-460-5).

Utah…Sophomore QB Tyler Huntley is still nursing a shoulder injury from a Week 4 win at Arizona. Huntley beat out last year’s starter, senior Troy Williams, and was having a productive start to the season with his ability to pass (73% completion percentage) and run (208 yards and 3 TDs). Williams is expected to make his second straight start this week at USC after the Utes dropped their first game of the season last week against Stanford with Williams going just 20 for 39 with 238 yards, a TD and 2 picks. DL Kyle Fitts could also miss his second straight game with a leg injury.

Additional short-term injuries/suspensions…

Auburn…RB Kamryn Pettway will miss the LSU game with a heel injury. Pettway was the Tigers leading rusher last season with 1,224 yards, but has dropped behind Kerryon Johnson who leads the team with 504 yards and 12 TDs.

Arizona State…DE Koron Crump is out indefinitely with a knee injury. He’s missed the last two games and still leads the Sun Devils with four sacks.  

Baylor…DE KJ Smith has been experiencing shin splints since the Week 1 loss against Liberty and is expected to miss his fifth straight game this week. Smith was a 1st Team All-Big 12 last season and led the team with seven sacks and all Bears defensive lineman with 67 tackles.

Boston College…The offensive line for the Eagles is a mess. Starting guard Elijah Johnson has been out for the season with a knee injury since the spring. Starting center Jon Baker is also out for the season with an ACL injury that occurred Week 1 against Northern Illinois. Center Shane Leonard has been out since the spring with a knee injury and it is unknown when he’ll return. Right now the Eagles are using true freshman Ben Petrula at center even though he never played the position in high school. He is considered one of their top prospects though. Aaron Monteiro is another starter who may not play against Louisville.

Buffalo…Starting QB Tyree Jackson looks like he’ll miss his third straight game following a knee injury he sustained Week 4 against FAU. Junior QB Drew Anderson has been an upgrade since taking over in Week 5 including a record-breaking performance last week in a 71-68 overtime loss to Western Michigan when he passed for 597 yards with seven touchdowns.

Charlotte…49ers leading rusher RB Benny LeMay is out against Western Kentucky with a concussion. LeMay has gained 488 yards while the No. 2 rusher on the depth chart (Fr. Aaron McAllister) has just 130. The 49ers will also be without two starting defensive backs this week in Anthony Covington and Ed Rolle.

Connecticut…Top WR Hergy Mayala is out for about another month with an ankle injury. Mayala still leads the team with three receiving TDs even after an injury after Week 2. The Huskies also have three defensive backs out this week against Temple.

Houston…Star WR Linell Bonner might miss his second straight game with a concussion. Bonner caught 98 passes last season for 1,118 yards and leads again this season with 32 catches for 300 yards and 3 TDs.

Illinois…Freshman Mike Epstein is questionable against Rutgers with a lower body injury. Epstein is the only productive rusher on the team with 346 yards and 3 TDs.

Kansas…RB Khalil Herbert is questionable to play this week with a hamstring injury. Herbert leads the team with 503 yards and 4 TDs. Backup Dom Williams is also questionable with an undisclosed injury. Williams has gained just 124 yards and 3 TDs.

Kentucky…LB Jordan Jones, an SEC 2nd-team player might miss his fifth straight game with a shoulder injury. Jones led the team last season with 109 tackles and 15 ½ tackles for loss.

Louisville…WR Jaylen Smith will most likely miss his fourth straight game with a wrist injury. Smith was the team’s leading receiver (22-379-2) at the time of his injury, but redshirt freshman Dez Fitzpatrick (26-414-6) has taken over as the team leader while sophomore Seth Dawkins has also contributed (23-371-2). Leading returning running back Jeremy Smith (382 yards and 8 TDs LY) broke his foot Week 2 and will miss the rest of the season while Malik Williams – who took over as the top running back on the depth chart for Smith – will miss the Week 7 contest against Boston College with a wrist injury. Williams is averaging seven yards per carry with 274 yards rushing on just 39 carries.

Maryland…DE Jesse Aniebonam has been out with an ankle injury since Week 1 at Texas. The senior was the team’s sack leader last season with nine. LB Shane Cockerille is going to miss his second straight game for disciplinary reasons. Cockerille was the Terps leading tackler last season with 108.

Miami, Ohio…Starting QB Gus Ragland is out with a lower body injury against Kent State. Ragland has a 29/5 TD to INT ratio dating back to the start of 2016 while junior backup Billy Bahl had a ratio of 16/17 in two years of starting time from 2015 through ’16.

Michigan…QB Wilton Speight suffered a back injury against Purdue in Week 4 and is expected to miss a few weeks. The new starter is senior John O’Korn, who passed for over 3,000 yards during his freshman season in Houston, but has not seen much action for two years since transferring. O’Korn was terrible in the Wolverines loss to Michigan State last week throwing three picks and completing just 45% of his passes. Michigan has two top-rated recruits behind O’Korn on the depth chart in redshirt freshman Brandon Peters and true Dylan McCaffrey.

Michigan State…RB LJ Scott might not play for a second straight week with an undisclosed injury. Scott led the Spartans with 994 yards and 6 TDs last season and was leading again this season with just 214.

Middle Tennessee…QB Brent Stockstill is expected to miss his fifth straight game with a shoulder injury. The junior has amassed over 7,000 yards through the air the past two seasons with a 61/16 ratio. Sophomore back-up John Urzua has completed 80 of 114 passes over his last three starts with 5 TDs and 4 INTs. Star receiver Richie James could miss his fourth straight game after injuring his ankle Week 3 at Minnesota. James came into the season with 2,971 yards and 20 TDs the past two years combined.

Nebraska…After producing 299 yards over his first two starts, leading rusher Tre Bryant is expected to miss his fifth straight game with a knee injury when the Huskers host Ohio State. Devine Ozigbo has taken over as the top rusher in Bryant’s absence with three straight 100-yard games and has finally passed Bryant with 327 yards for the season.

New Mexico State…RB Larry Rose III could miss the Georgia Southern game with a knee injury. Rose entered the season with 3, 618 yards rushing and has 492 already. Backup Jason Huntley is a solid looking player who has gained 204 yards with a robust eight yard average per rush.

Oregon State…QB Jake Luton suffered a serious back injury Week 4 at Washington State and it is unknown when he’ll be able to return. New starter Darrell Garretson, a former Utah State transfer is expected to make his third straight start against Colorado. Garretson began last season as the starter until a mid-season knee injury ended it prematurely.

Purdue…RB Tario Fuller injured his foot against Missouri in Week 3 and will miss his third straight game. He leads the team with 261 yards rushing and there is no current quality No. 2 at this time. Leading tackler LB TJ McCollum is also not expected to play this week at Wisconsin.

South Carolina…The Gamecocks are already without a pair of key players for the season (see below) and now the offensive line is dealing with three injuries as left tackle Malik Young will miss the Tennessee game while guard Cory Helms and right tackle Zach Bailey are making the trip, but are both questionable.

Texas…1st-team All-American left-tackle Connor Williams is out with a knee injury with no word on when he’ll return.

USC…Freshman RB Stephen Carr is expected to miss his second straight game with a foot injury. Carr is the second leading Trojans rusher (309 yards and 3 TDs) behind Ronald Jones (529 yards and 7 TDs).

UTEP…Leading rusher Quadraiz Wadley (271 yards) is out with a knee injury. Wadley has only played in three games so far this season and there is a significant drop-off in production behind him.

Wisconsin…WR Jazz Peavy has been dealing with a lingering leg injury this season and is going to sit out this week against Purdue. Peavy was the Badgers leading receiver last season with 635 yards on 43 receptions and 5 TDs. He only has 5 for 55 this season.

Long-term injuries/suspensions…

Akron…RB Warren Ball will miss the season with a broken leg sustained Week 5 at Bowling Green. Ball was the team’s top rusher with 332 yards and four TDs. Junior RB Van Edwards will assume the top job after leading the team in yards last season with 492. He only has 152 after six games this season though. The Zips also lost one of their top defenders in a Week 3 game against Iowa State when DB Zach Guiser suffered a concussion and then decided to retire.

Appalachian State…Leading WR Shaedon Meadors will redshirt this season after not being able to return from an early season hamstring issue. Meadors was a 2nd-team All-Sun Belt performer last season with 716 yards on 45 receptions. The top three receivers for the Mountaineers this season are all freshmen.

Auburn…QB Sean White was dismissed from the program after being arrested on 9/17 for public intoxication. White was the starter last season before a shoulder injury in November not only ended his regular season, but the Tigers chances of winning a national championship as well. White came back only to break his arm in the Sugar Bowl and the injuries would eventually impact his ability to compete with JUCO transfer Jarrett Stidham for the starting job this past spring. White led the SEC in completion percentage last season and would have provided the Tigers with a competent backup and potential starter.

Baylor…WR Chris Platt is out for the season with a knee injury sustained Week 4 against Oklahoma. Platt is one of the Bears top-two receivers (16-401-5) and will be missed.

Boston College…Linebacker Connor Strachan, last year’s leading tackler, is out for the season with a knee injury. The senior totaled 155 tackles the past two years. He’s been out since Week 2.

Bowling Green…DB Jamari Bozeman has been out all season with a hip injury. He was a 3rd-team All-Mac performer last season.  

Clemson…Kicker Greg Huegel is out for the season with an ACL injury. Huegel kicked in the National Championship game the past two seasons and was an All ACC 2nd-team kicker.

FAU…WR Kalib Woods was charged with two felony counts of battery over the summer and his status is up in the air for the season. Woods was the Owl’s leading receiver by far (68-934-TD) last season.

Florida…QB Luke Del Rio is out for the season after injuring his shoulder Week 5 against Vanderbilt and the Gators passing game should take a hit in production because of it.

Kent State…QB Nick Holley is out for the season with a knee injury sustained at Marshall in a Week 3 contest.  Holley was a difference-maker for a weak offense leading the team in rushing last season with 920 yards and 10 TDs and again this season with 207. Back-up George Bollas is a huge drop-off and is only getting the start because top back-up Mylik Mitchell is also out with a knee injury with no timetable for his return.

Maryland…Week 1 starting QB Tyrrell Pigrome injured his knee against Texas and will miss the season as will his replacement Kasim Hill, who had an ACL injury against Central Florida in a Week 3 contest.

North Carolina…Leading receiver Austin Proehl injured his shoulder Week 4 against Duke and will miss the rest of the season. The Tar Heels are pretty thin at the position after losing three key players from last year’s team including their all-time leader, Ryan Switzer.

South Carolina…Electrifying WR/KR Deebo Samuel is out for the year with a leg injury and it will be a huge blow for the program. Samuel almost single-handedly helped the Gamecocks beat both NC State and Missouri to open the season before injuring himself against Kentucky. He led the team last year with 783 yards on 59 receptions and was off to a tremendous start again this season which included two kick-off return scores. LB Bryson Allen-Williams will also miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Allen-Williams was the team’s No. 2 tackler last season with 75 and added 8 ½ tackles for loss.

UCLA…The Bruins No. 2 receiver, sophomore TE Caleb Wilson (38-490-TD), injured his foot Week 5 against Colorado and will miss the rest of the season.

USC…Starting guard Viane Talamaivao will miss the rest of the season after a pectoral injury sustained against Washington State in Week 5. Talamaivao was the team’s top lineman.

Washington…WR Chico McClatcher is out for the year with an ankle injury sustained Week 4 in the Huskies win at Colorado. McClatcher was the team’s third-leading receiver last season (31-574-5) and was the team’s second-leading receiver so far this season (10-128). With no current depth behind star Dante Pettis, this could be an issue for the Huskies moving forward.